2011 Infiniti M56: IBA Off Warning

March 08, 2011

Sorry for the blurry shot, but getting a picture of a near-random warning light that only turns on for a second or two 75% of the time you accelerate full throttle above 30 is more difficult than it sounds. And explaining what you're doing to the rent-a-cop in the empty mall parking lot is even less fun.

Anyway, the point: Over the weekend, the IBA (Intelligent brake assist) OFF warning light on our M56 was turning itself off and on. Normally this would happen during hard accelerations, but every so often it would just pop up at a steady highway cruise.

Now, according to the owner's manual, "The light illuminates when the Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) off switch is pushed to OFF. This indicates that the Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) system is not operating.

When the IBA off indicator light illuminates while the system is turned in (without the warning chime sound), this light indicates that the system control is temporarily unavailable.

When the IBA off indicator light illuminates with the warning chime sound while the IBA system is turned on, theis light indicates that the system may not be functioning properly. Park the vehicle in a safe place. Check to see if the laser sensor is clean. Turn the engine off, then restart the engine.

If the IBA off indicator light illuminates after following the procedures above, it may indicate that the system or Active Trace Control (if so equipped) is malfunctioning. Although the vehicle is still drivable under normal conditions, have the vehicle checked at in INFINITI retailer."

I pulled over the first time I saw it and read the above section (2-16) and, despite not hearing a beep, I checked the sensor (pictured below) and found nothing obstructing the view then re-started the vehicle. The light popped on a few more times, but no chime.

According to the book that means there's no problem, the system is simply unavailable. I think we'll mention it at the next service, but there doesn't seem to be a rush for this to be serviced. Would you take it in or wait it out -- considering the pulled section of owner's manual above.